How it started
Our Story
Every great team has an origin story. Here's ours!
When the Playbook Stopped Working
Around 2015, something big started to shift in the parenting world. Popular influencers began warning parents that they might be hurting their kids — without even knowing it. A lot of these parents had grown up with harsh, strict parenting themselves. So when they heard about "gentle parenting," it sounded like exactly what they'd been looking for. They wanted something better for their kids, and that's a great thing!
But there was a problem. The new approach came with scripts that felt fake and forced — especially for dads. It put moms in the exhausting role of being their child's full-time coregulator, 24 hours a day. Kids started struggling to get along with other kids and adults. The parenting experts kept selling more books and courses, but families kept getting more stressed. Marriages were feeling the pressure too.
Finding a Better Way
Watching these amazing, loving parents burn out with just one or two kids, I had to ask myself: "Wait — how did I manage seven kids (including twins!) without all this stress? What changed?" As I talked with more and more parents — mostly moms — I realized something important. They were doing everything right in terms of love and effort. But the parenting approach they'd been handed was missing some key pieces. And it was wearing everyone out.
That's when it clicked. I started building a playbook for parents based on something that has worked for hundreds of years — youth sports. Team sports teach kids to be focused, motivated, and resilient. Coaches know how to encourage kids to grow. Dads get it. Moms get it. Kids get it. And it works!
Building the Family Team
The Parenting Game Plan takes the best ideas from sports and brings them right into your living room. You're the coach. Your kids are the players. And together, you're all chasing goals that get everyone fired up! The system is designed to stop problems before they start — and it gets kids excited to build new skills and earn real rewards. Best of all, it's built for YOUR family. Every kid is different, and this approach can accomodate them. As the coach, you will have great influence on your family. And your kids? They will be excited to play the game of life with the coaching and plays that win.
We want every parent to feel confident coaching their players and building a winning family team. That family can absolutely be yours!
Nothing is as painful as family pain. Nothing is as joyful as family joy. Every family deserves joy.— Joan Landes, Founder
Your Story Isn't Over
Maybe you have had some incredibly frustrating moments in your family and need some guidance. Or maybe you are doing okay, but know your family could be doing so much better. Either way, the setbacks just make your story more inspiring. We can share the game plan that makes that miracle.